Things You Should Not Do While Applying for Scholarships

Do you know that applying for most of the scholarship programs is almost like a full-time job? And it hurts when you fail if you are busy from morning to evening and manage to submit your documents in between. 

However, avoiding some common mistakes in scholarship applications can help students secure scholarships successfully. In this blog, we will cover the top mistakes that students usually make and how to avoid them. Read further to know more about how to win scholarships for students.

Mistake 1: Starting your Scholarship search too late 

This is one of the biggest mistakes that students often end up doing. They wait till the last minute to explore scholarships. Most of the scholarships have an early deadline time factor is very crucial.  Also, scholarships for students generally have heavy competition, which helps only the most promising candidates get the scholarship. 

Solution: Start exploring scholarships at least 7-9 months in advance. Setting up Google Alerts for new scholarship opportunities helps students keep themselves updated. Keep exploring scholarship platforms consistently to stay updated on new postings. The wisest thing is to create a scholarship calendar with a deadline and requirements.

Mistake 2: Not following scholarship guidelines carefully

Many times, students overlook scholarship guidelines, which may lead to scholarship disqualification. Not every scholarship has the same set of requirements. They may have different eligibility criteria, application formats, document formats, and deadlines. Failing to meet these specific requirements signals a lack of attention to detail, leading to a low score.

Solution: Thoroughly go through the instructions and ensure that to meet all the requirements. Paying attention to detail helps you avoid many mistakes. Create a checklist of the required documents, eligibility, format, etc. In addition double double-check the submission deadline and meet the other submission requirements, like submission format, etc.

Mistake 3: Missing Deadlines

This is the biggest mistake that students often make, overlook, and take for granted: the deadline. Missing the students' scholarship deadline leads to automatic disqualification. Many scholarship programs are very particular about the deadline and will not accept applications beyond it. No matter how good the applications are, how good the students are, submitting before the deadline is mandatory. 

Solution: It is recommended to keep a track of scholarship deadlines well in advance. Set reminders and submit your application at least a few days before the deadline. Oftentimes, the servers get busy due to the increase in the number of applications. Therefore, as previously discussed, use calendars and remainders to stay organised. 

Mistake 4: Failing to provide all required documents

This could be one of the reasons for scholarship rejections. A few scholarships require other supporting documents, such as financial documents, academic transcripts, recommendation letters, etc.  Failing to provide these documents may potentially lead to scholarship rejection. Missing out on even a single document could be the only reason for scholarship rejection.

Solution: Prepare the documents checklist well in advance. Make sure you collect all the necessary documents and apply for scholarships. Double-check the list of required documents and seek expert advice to review the application. 

Mistake 5: Not completing the application properly

Ensure that the scholarship application is filled out. Many students often ignore a few of the sections, considering they are of the least importance. But sometimes this can lead to scholarship rejection. All sections of the scholarship application must be filled out completely to secure a sure-shot scholarship.

Solution: As we previously discussed, go through each section meticulously. Read the instructions carefully and ensure you meet all the requirements. Double-check as soon as you complete filling each section of the application to ensure that it is filled out without missing anything.

Mistake 6: Applying for the wrong scholarships

Remember, it is a waste of time to apply for scholarships that do not align with your educational qualifications. Several types of scholarships are available, depending on the scholarship provider, including need-based, merit-based, and niche-based. Each scholarship type has a different set of eligibility criteria and purpose. Research and apply for a scholarship that aligns with your career goal and meets the requirements.

Solution: Focus on and apply for scholarships that fit your interests and background. Research the scholarship type and purpose. Search and apply for scholarships that have less competition. Utilize a database on the scholarship portal, such as WeMakeScholars, for recommendations, filtering, and applying for relevant scholarships.

Mistake 7: Not researching the scholarship provider

This is a crucial step while applying for a scholarship. A candidate must do enough research about the student's scholarship provider to know the motive for providing a scholarship. An application with thorough research helps students to ace the interview as well. This can even help students understand the mission of the organisation and draft a compelling message that aligns with their values. 

Solution: Before applying for a scholarship, it is recommended that students research the scholarship provider to know their values and mission. Then align the scholarship application and demonstrate how you can contribute to their goals.

Mistake 8: Not Proofreading and editing

Do not submit your scholarship application without proofreading. An application with spelling errors and grammatical errors could hurt of chances of getting a scholarship. Proofreading can help correct mistakes and submit the documents that you have missed. This helps in scholarship rejection.

Solution: Proofread your application several times. Fix the mistakes. Proofreading helps in avoiding mistakes. Ask someone else to read and check for mistakes. This eventually increases the chances of getting scholarships. 

Things to Remember:

A few important things to remember while applying for scholarships:

1. Don’t expect quick results

• You thought you applied for a scholarship program today, and after one month, you would receive an email saying that you have been awarded. But in reality, this does not always happen unless you experience beginner’s luck.
• When applying for scholarships, think of at least 5 or 6 programs. Get more patience, and more free time, and apply for all of them. You will get at least one of them.

2. Don’t lose trust in yourself

• While you search for scholarship programs, if you find that there are not many programs that suit your educational, professional, and future needs, don’t get discouraged. Also, don’t get scared when programs ask you to write professional essays, recommendation letters, and advanced certificates such as IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, SAT, etc.
• Take time, organize your days, and educate yourself. Seek academic support. Use writing services or other Internet resources.

3. Don’t get stuck in your past

• Don’t live in the past, together with your old memories of failures at school, college, university, job, or even a relationship with your girlfriend or boyfriend. Try not to think that if you failed a lot in the past, you will never be successful in the future. Your past must not dictate your future.
• At least take control of it. The past is a past. It is gone. There is nothing you can do about it. If you offended someone, ask for God's forgiveness and move forward.

4. Don’t focus on your failures

• When you finally apply for a scholarship program and fail, don’t you think, “That’s it! I have arrived.”? Instead, admit your failure, take a lesson, and improve your weak areas. Never and ever give up very easily.

5. Don’t be afraid of your future

• Imagine yourself in a leadership position running your own business or projects and creating your team, which you wish to grow together into the future. Forget about a full-time office job, a stable salary, and a ‘nice’ boss. Create your brand, own vision, and lead.

6. Don’t surrender very easily

• Let me tell you this. Don’t apply for scholarships because many people you know are going abroad to study. In other words, have your vision of how education abroad can help you and your country in the future. This will help you not to give up easily and wait for the other people to come and push you to move forward.

7. Don’t think you are weak

• Avoid thinking that because of poor grades you got back in high school or college, you are weak. Well, the truth is grades can’t define you as a person. I am one example.
• I never studied at school very well, and most of my grades were almost next to poor. But I always focused on knowledge and skills, not the grades I used to get. But I achieved a lot in my life. 

8. Don’t think the world should reward you

• Or let’s say you have excellent grades. And you think some kind of magic should happen one day, and your life will change once and forever. You might probably think, “I am studying very well, and there must be someone who notices me.
• He/she will reward my hard work”. But in reality, that does not happen unless you step up and try to sell your expertise yourself.

See More: Everything wrong with your resume explained in 5 minutes or less.

9. Don’t let your fear outweigh your drive to success

• Don’t be afraid and never say things like “What if I don’t pass? What if there is too much competition? What if I fail my language or other exams later on? What if I can’t study when I am at X University?” And the list goes on.
• Be more positive. What if God wants you to change your life? Think like that. And have passion. Dream, dream, and dream of becoming successful, and you will be successful, I bet.

10. Don’t ignore your potential

• Don’t be ignorant when it comes to realizing your potential. You can do wonderful, amazing, and mind-blowing things. You have no idea of what kind of potential you have because at school, your teachers judged you mostly based on your grades, and as a result, you think you know little.
• Listen! Nobody knows you better than yourself. For example, I am a blogger. I have my blog, and I also blog at WeMakeScholars. Based on the grades I got at school, I am not supposed to be here writing all of this.

See More: Factors to consider while choosing your study abroad destination

11. Don’t think you have something to lose

• Well, yes, if you wish to achieve something in your life, then you will have to make sacrifices. You can’t have everything in this life. You should identify your values and goals, and based on that, make priorities. Then you will not feel that you have something to lose.
• Think much bigger. But yes, in between you will have to spend extra hours, energy, money, and so on, but when you get the scholarship, you will get paid off anyway. So I would not call that losing at all.

12. Don’t work too many hours

• If you work from 9 am to 5 pm every day, it can be very hard to search and apply for a scholarship program, but if you want, you should be able to find time. For example, wake up earlier and work for one hour to realize your dream.
•  Or after working hours, come home, spend some time with your family, have dinner together, and then from 10 pm to 11 pm work on your dreams.
• Or just get a part-time job and create more free time for yourself.

See More: 5 Quotes to keep you motivated during Scholarship Search

13. Don’t think your problems are unique

• Never think that only you have a life full of problems. I also used to think so. I always used to think, “Oh my Go, why is my life so difficult? I have to overcome a lot of endless challenges”.
• But then I realized that other people have such problems that I thanked God for having my problems because they seemed like nothing compared to others. Anyway, remember that whatever does not break you makes you stronger.

14. Don’t see failure as a sign to stop

Don’t think that if you fail once, that is not your calling, and you have to stop. That’s the wrong mindset. If you failed once, try again. If you fail again, try again. If you fail again, try another method of realizing your dreams or try different programs. Don’t get stuck with only one program. Don’t place all your eggs in one basket. 

15. Don’t love your comfort zone

Get ready to take risks and face a lot of challenges. You will lose your peace. You will have to work twice as hard and enjoy your life less and less. But at the end of the dark tunnel, there is always a light, remember.

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Conclusion

Scholarships play an important role in students' lives. However, some mistakes are the reasons why a student's scholarship application would get rejected. Avoiding those mistakes helps them create a compelling scholarship application and secure one. In this blog, we have discussed what are the mistakes to avoid and the important things to remember while applying for a scholarship.